Outward Bound USA
Encyclopedia
Outward Bound USA is the collection of outdoor education
organizations in the USA which are officially registered as schools by Outward Bound
International. In the U.S., more than 60,000 people participate in its programs every year. OBUSA operates "Schools" under the Outward Bound Wilderness division focusing on expeditions and travel and "Centers" which are based-in large cities and provide similar expedition and educational services to the public school systems of their respective cities.
In 1961, Joshua L. Miner, the first president of Outward Bound USA (OBUSA) and the man responsible for bringing the innovative ideas of Kurt Hahn
to the United States
, inspired US legislation approving a training and development model to prepare Peace Corps
volunteers in Puerto Rico
. This first camp, and then the more famous Colorado school, became OBUSA's first presence in the USA.
A history of the first 20 years of OBUSA is provided by Miner and Boldt (1981). NOLS
founder Paul Petzoldt
was an early OBUSA instructor. The development of OBUSA lead to several other off-shoot programs, including Project Adventure
.
Following a decline in enrollments and financial difficulties during the 1990s, in May 2005 four legacy Outward Bound Schools were combined into a new division of Outward Bound called Outward Bound Wilderness (Outward Bound Wilderness.) The four legacy schools known as 1) Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, 2) Outward Bound West, and 3) Voyageur Outward Bound School are now operated under one central office, but still offer the same programs and expeditions.
There are five Outward Bound Schools and Centers: http://ncoutwardbound.org/ NCOBS (North Carolina Outward Bound School), POBC (Philadelphia), BOBC (Baltimore), TIOBC (Thompson Island, Boston
) and NYCOBC (New York City). From their respective beginnings, each of the schools and centers operated individually and were audited by OBUSA for safety and international policy standards. During 2005, OBUSA unified several of these schools into one larger OBUSA, sharing all resources alike.
The ELOB endeavor transforms schools into centers of Expeditionary Learning by working with schools to design and implement expeditionary curricula, models of student assessment, new forms of school organization, programs for staff development and systems of evaluation, replication and dissemination.
ELOB has a national headquarters located in Garrison, New York
as well as eight regional offices which are based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
; New York City
; Annapolis, Maryland
; Palm Harbor, Florida
; Puerto Rico
; Dubuque, Iowa
; Boise, Idaho
; and Yakima, Washington
.
.
) and Fairhope, Alabama, and are a highly successfully alternative to incarceration for non-violent juvenile offenders. These courses last approximately 30 days in the wilderness. They are funded by Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice and approximately 30 courses are conducted per year with 8-10 students in each course.
base serves Broward, Monroe
and [Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade]] counties. The [Scottsmoor, Florida]] base serves the Cape Canaveral
area and the [Orlando, Florida|Orlando] area. Additionally there is a base east of Mobile in [Fairhope, Alabama], that runs an assortment of courses including both Intercept and FINS.
from 1999-2003. In each location, the show followed a group of 8 young adults as they learned to work together and help each other survive in the wilderness. Under the guidance of instructors from the Outward Bound school, the group members struggled to cope with nature and each other, success and failure, and physical and mental challenges, and finally bonded together in an unforgettable life experience.
Outdoor education
Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
organizations in the USA which are officially registered as schools by Outward Bound
Outward Bound
Outward Bound is an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor educationorganization with approximately 40 schools around the world and 200,000 participants per year...
International. In the U.S., more than 60,000 people participate in its programs every year. OBUSA operates "Schools" under the Outward Bound Wilderness division focusing on expeditions and travel and "Centers" which are based-in large cities and provide similar expedition and educational services to the public school systems of their respective cities.
History
See also: Outward Bound History.In 1961, Joshua L. Miner, the first president of Outward Bound USA (OBUSA) and the man responsible for bringing the innovative ideas of Kurt Hahn
Kurt Hahn
Kurt Martin Hahn was a German educator whose philosophies are considered internationally influential.-Biography:...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, inspired US legislation approving a training and development model to prepare Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteers in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. This first camp, and then the more famous Colorado school, became OBUSA's first presence in the USA.
A history of the first 20 years of OBUSA is provided by Miner and Boldt (1981). NOLS
National Outdoor Leadership School
The National Outdoor Leadership School , is a non-profit outdoor education school based in the United States dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoor skills, safety and judgment, and leadership on extended wilderness expeditions...
founder Paul Petzoldt
Paul Petzoldt
Paul Kiesow Petzoldt was one of America's most accomplished mountaineers. He is perhaps best known for establishing the National Outdoor Leadership School in 1965. Paul made his first ascent of the Grand Teton in 1924 at the age of 16, becoming the youngest person at the time to have done so...
was an early OBUSA instructor. The development of OBUSA lead to several other off-shoot programs, including Project Adventure
Project Adventure
Project Adventure is an international nonprofit education organization based in Beverly, Massachusetts. The mission of Project Adventure is to provide leadership in the expansion of adventure-based experiential programming.-History:...
.
Following a decline in enrollments and financial difficulties during the 1990s, in May 2005 four legacy Outward Bound Schools were combined into a new division of Outward Bound called Outward Bound Wilderness (Outward Bound Wilderness.) The four legacy schools known as 1) Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, 2) Outward Bound West, and 3) Voyageur Outward Bound School are now operated under one central office, but still offer the same programs and expeditions.
There are five Outward Bound Schools and Centers: http://ncoutwardbound.org/ NCOBS (North Carolina Outward Bound School), POBC (Philadelphia), BOBC (Baltimore), TIOBC (Thompson Island, Boston
Thompson Island (Massachusetts)
Thompson Island is an island in the Boston Harbor, some 4 miles offshore from downtown Boston, Massachusetts. The island is managed by the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, a non-profit education organization. The island is open to visitors on summer Sundays; otherwise access is by...
) and NYCOBC (New York City). From their respective beginnings, each of the schools and centers operated individually and were audited by OBUSA for safety and international policy standards. During 2005, OBUSA unified several of these schools into one larger OBUSA, sharing all resources alike.
Outward Bound Wilderness
Outward Bound wilderness programs, such as the programs run by the North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) and Outward Bound in Maine,Minnesota, Colorado, and California (plus others), offer experiential learning wilderness programs to teens and adults. Besides teaching wilderness skills, the programs also try to teach leadership and compassion to participants.Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound
Additionally, a third version of Outward Bound in the United States is Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound (ELOB), created in 1993. A non-profit comprehensive school reform organization which is part of Outward Bound USA, ELOB works with over 129 urban and rural schools across the United States including Puerto Rico. Its pedagogy emphasizes high achievement through active learning, character growth, and teamwork at elementary, middle, and high school levels.The ELOB endeavor transforms schools into centers of Expeditionary Learning by working with schools to design and implement expeditionary curricula, models of student assessment, new forms of school organization, programs for staff development and systems of evaluation, replication and dissemination.
ELOB has a national headquarters located in Garrison, New York
Garrison, New York
Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown and is on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point...
as well as eight regional offices which are based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
; New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
; Palm Harbor, Florida
Palm Harbor, Florida
Palm Harbor is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 59,248.-Culture:...
; Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
; Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
; Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
; and Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
.
Outward Bound Discovery
Outward Bound Discovery is a largely Florida-based branch of OBUSA that specifically deals with at-risk youth. They primarily run three types of courses: Short Term Expedition Program (STEP), Families In Need of Services (FINS), and Intercept. Originally known as Southern Programs, it began as a branch of Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in 1975 with STEP in Yulee, FloridaYulee, Florida
Yulee is a census-designated place in Nassau County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,392 at the 2000 census. The city was named for David Levy Yulee, Senator from Florida.-Geography:Yulee is located at ....
.
Short Term Expedition Programs
Short Term Expedition Program (STEP) courses are based out of Yulee, Florida (located near JacksonvilleJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
) and Fairhope, Alabama, and are a highly successfully alternative to incarceration for non-violent juvenile offenders. These courses last approximately 30 days in the wilderness. They are funded by Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice and approximately 30 courses are conducted per year with 8-10 students in each course.
Families In Need of Services programs
Families In Need of Services (FINS) courses are designed to help students who are struggling at school and at home, with a focus on helping the entire family to adopt practices to increase freedoms as students demonstrate responsibility and create clear consequences for the students actions on which the student can then base their decisions upon. FINS courses involve a 20-day wilderness phase with the students, during which the parent has phone conversations and meetings with the office-based staff members about their child's individual performance and struggles for dealing with their child's disruptive behaviors. There is then a follow-up phase during which the instructors and a program coordinator visit the student and their families at their homes to help mediate conversations and create concrete plans for improving their behavior. The education coordinator and instructors also meet with students, their parents, and school teachers or counselors during the follow-up phase to discuss what the student learned on the course and how this learning can be applied to their school environment. Successful graduation from a FINS course is contingent upon both the students' and parents' full involvement in both phases of the course. FINS courses are funded by local county education departments. The Key Largo, FloridaKey Largo
Key Largo is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and, at long, the largest of the Keys. It is also the northernmost of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, and the northernmost of the Keys connected by U.S. Highway 1...
base serves Broward, Monroe
Monroe County, Florida
Monroe County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 79,589. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county was 74,737....
and [Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade]] counties. The [Scottsmoor, Florida]] base serves the Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
area and the [Orlando, Florida|Orlando] area. Additionally there is a base east of Mobile in [Fairhope, Alabama], that runs an assortment of courses including both Intercept and FINS.
Intercept programs
Intercept courses are run by OB Discovery, with the recent addition of 18-20 year old Intercept to the standard 13-17 age range courses.Diversity training
In the United States, Outward Bound schools have employed "diversity trainings" for their staff in order to prepare instructors to address the various issues that may arise on course due to a diverse group of participants. Diversity trainings are intended to provide the arena where staff can be challenged in the same ways that they challenge participants to step out of their comfort zone.Mission
Outward Bound has always gone where there is the greatest need in the community, from working with veterans returning from wars, to working with those battling life illnesses or dealing with addiction, to working with youth in need. Breaking down barriers between people by creating a community of trust and understanding is some of the most important work we can do. "Education must enable young people to effect what they have recognized to be right, despite hardships, despite dangers, despite inner skepticism, despite boredom, and despite mockery from the world. . ." - Kurt HahnTV series
A television series aired on Discovery KidsDiscovery Kids
Discovery Kids is an American website owned by Discovery Communications, Inc. created for children. Until October 10, 2010, it was an American digital cable specialty channel, owned by Discovery Communications with television programming for education of children. It was launched in October 1996...
from 1999-2003. In each location, the show followed a group of 8 young adults as they learned to work together and help each other survive in the wilderness. Under the guidance of instructors from the Outward Bound school, the group members struggled to cope with nature and each other, success and failure, and physical and mental challenges, and finally bonded together in an unforgettable life experience.